Waste water, dissolved organic matter

The Stringfellow Superfund site in California poses analytical problems similar to those encountered with most waste sites across the United States and that may be best addressed via LC/MS based methods. Most of the organic compounds in aqueous leachates from this site cannot be characterized by GC/MS based methods. Analysis of Stringfellow bedrock groundwater shows that only 0.78% of the total dissolved organic materials are identifiable via purge and trap analysis (IQ). These are compounds such as acetone, trichloroethylene etc, whose physical properties are ideally suited for GC/MS separation and confirmation. Another 33% of the dissolved organic matter is characterized as "unknown", i.e., not extractable from the aqueous samples under any pH conditions and thus not analyzed via GC. Another 66% is 4-chlorobenzene sulfonic acid (PCBSA), an extremely polar and water soluble compound that is also not suitable for GC analysis. This compound, a waste product from DDT manufacture, is known to occur at this site because of the history of disposal of "sulfuric acid waste from industrial DDT synthesis. 

Hudson, N., Baker, A., and Reynolds, D. (2007). Huorescence analysis of dissolve organic matter in natural, waste and polluted waters - a review. River Res. Applic., 23, 631-649. 

The recovery of iodine from waste liquids.—E. Beilsteini2 recovered iodine from laboratory residues by evaporation to dryness with an excess of sodium carbonate and calcination until the organic matter is all oxidized. The mass is dissolved in sulphuric acid and treated with the nitrous fumes, obtained by treating starch with nitric acid, until all the iodine is precipitated. The iodine is washed in cold water, dried over sulphuric acid, and sublimed. Other oxidizing agents less unpleasant than the nitrous fumes employed by F. Beil stein—e.g. hydrogen peroxide—-were recommended by G. Torossian for the residues obtained in copper titrations. F. Beilstein s process is applicable to soluble but not to insoluble, oxidized forms of ioffine. F. D. Chattaway... 

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